Leicester City and mental health at the moment.

[Phil Bowman]

It’s a tricky one. Or at least it can become a tricky one for a lot of us sometimes.

 

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with deriving pleasure from our team’s successes, when they happen. Nor with feeling disappointment at their failures.

Problems come if we come to depend on our team’s successes for our pleasure.

 

I have experience of some mental health issues (not too major, but still some way off being fun), and half a century of Leicester supporting, and I’ve (eventually) reached a point where I can enjoy it when good things happen and not get too negative for too long when they don’t.

 

To be honest 2016 helped a lot with this, for me at least, as I’ve seen my club have the most incredible success imaginable, and a big part of me now knows that nothing will ever beat (or even equal) that, so I can pretty much accept that what will be will be. The FA Cup was a delicious icing on that cake!

 

Ultimately I reckon this is the only way to manage it - otherwise we depend for our happiness on something we have no control over. And that is not a recipe for mental well-being - especially in football, where by the very nature of things, most clubs aren’t successful most of the time.

 

Having said all that, achieving a zen attitude to football is often much easier said than done!

 

Finally, I hope people can stop accusing one another on here of being upset by stuff that shouldn’t upset them, or of not understanding mental health issues. We’re all different; one person’s fluffy irrelevance is another’s crushing weight, and vice versa.

 

But I have rambled on too long…

[Guest glasgowfox]

1 hour ago, turkish14 said:

 

We all have our own views, perspectives and experiences regarding mental health and what we feel constitutes to that.

 

If someone feels their mental well-being is being impacted by a football result and leading then to depression then it’s very real for them.

 

The reality in that particular example (I agree with Highpeakfox) then they should look for alternative ways to find positivity. 
 

I am aware that just finding alternative positives, doesn’t solve deep rooted issues that could be aggravated by football. But it’s a step (albeit small) in the right direction. 
 

 

No reply warranted.

[HighPeakFox]

It is often difficult for me to read football related output here (especially when the team is struggling) because people demonstrate their various unhappy traits or their fragilities in clear terms, and although in the moment I find it alienating and disturbing, in the long run I want everyone to feel better both about our team and about themselves. 

 

I seek to educate nobody, and I think I've been respectful here. I choose to largely mark the forum as read at times like these, because the unhappiness is almost overwhelming. This thread can be of great value. I cannot tell you what I've been through in my life because it's too much to share in such a forum, but I hope most of you are able to take me at my word when I tell you I've been to some bad places emotionally. 

[Aus Fox]

I have plenty in life to worry about, family, work stresses, health etc. the same stuff we are all dealing with on a day to day basis.  
But midnight on a Saturday night or is it Sunday Morning (Saturday 3pm kick off) my biggest worry for a couple of hours is why hasn’t Iheanacho come in yet or when will the next change come.

I am a bit of a workaholic, it’s 9pm I’m still at the laptop which was first opened at around 7 this morning, I’m like this most days.

When Leicester are playing, I switch all of that off, win, draw or lose the football club is amazing for my mental health. In my younger days, when I still lived in Leicester and most games were Saturday afternoon it was amazing for me because August - May Saturday was booked out - very rarely did I miss a game, and if I did the radio was on for that time.

Football is my escape and always will be, I love the highs - fa cup, winning the league, play offs, beating Spurs 3-2 when we really were shit. And I try not to let the disappointments get to me too much these days, well not once I’ve slept on it anyway.

Everyone’s story is different and the club will mean different things to different people at different times in their lives. 

[UHDrive]

Mental health & FT

 

There are some opinions I agree with and some I can't. Some mention "I know this for a fact" and others it's more accepting. To the ones who pigeon hole what mental health should be, or that they are adamant "is", don't. 

 

I am going to tell a story (interesting I know)!. My story starts 4 years ago when I joined FT. I joined because my 'permanent' mental health condition had been worsening over time, leading to job losses and more time at home as a single parent. I was recommended FT by a friend and I was hooked. 

 

During the first year it was great to meet people online and talk about something that for me personally allows me to switch off from thinking and chill out. Then there was an issue. I retaliated to some immature members who were offensive. I was temp blocked from the owner of this site (fairly id say). The others were not reprimanded. During this situation I had a frank discussion with the owner of FT and I was dissapointed with the lack of respect, professionalism and understanding he has for mental health disabilitys and such like, as well as a lack of basic neutrality over issues he is managing and that affect mental health.

 

Since then FT has been like treading on ice, and then recently it happened again, only I did not, and still do not, know why the owner of FT has restricted me to 10 posts per day. I wouldn't say I'm not naive to know if I've been overly wreckeless so to be two weeks (yes two weeks) down the line after asking the owner of FT what I have done, I still have no response.

 

I'm a chartered professional despite my mental health so I am aware as the next sane person with respect to right and wrong. 

 

I was then emailed from the owner of FT following my RFI's. He said that "you have 10 posts per 24 hours for now to save you from the bother of the other week. I suggest you not waste them on private messaging". The private messaging must have referred to me messaging admin members for help, guidance and clarity because I was starting to feel stressed, depressed, agitated and frustrated. 

 

I replied, still seeking clarity over a) the post restriction and when it will end, and b) What have I done? Can you please tell me. No reply.

 

There is a chance I will be banned completely for this. I cannot though stay silent while the owner of FT acts in a godly manner and seems to have no respect (he was aware and I told him of my personal status early on) mental health and disabilities. My mental health suffers a lot specially with a lack of clarity over issues. This is where the owner of FT has hit me hardest for want of a better expression.

 

If I'm still here tomorrow then thanks to the admin team! If not, adios, and nice knowing you.

[majaco]

I want Leicester to win. I can cope when we don't. 

 

We will be relegated one season.    Most teams will be. 

 

In the interests of my well-being , I avoid Foxestalk sometimes after a defeat because some peoples hyperbolic negativity and criticism is very unsettling.

[Phil Bowman]

27 minutes ago, UHDrive said:

Mental health & FT

 

There are some opinions I agree with and some I can't. Some mention "I know this for a fact" and others it's more accepting. To the ones who pigeon hole what mental health should be, or that they are adamant "is", don't. 

 

I am going to tell a story (interesting I know)!. My story starts 4 years ago when I joined FT. I joined because my 'permanent' mental health condition had been worsening over time, leading to job losses and more time at home as a single parent. I was recommended FT by a friend and I was hooked. 

 

During the first year it was great to meet people online and talk about something that for me personally allows me to switch off from thinking and chill out. Then there was an issue. I retaliated to some immature members who were offensive. I was temp blocked from the owner of this site (fairly id say). The others were not reprimanded. During this situation I had a frank discussion with the owner of FT and I was dissapointed with the lack of respect, professionalism and understanding he has for mental health disabilitys and such like, as well as a lack of basic neutrality over issues he is managing and that affect mental health.

 

Since then FT has been like treading on ice, and then recently it happened again, only I did not, and still do not, know why the owner of FT has restricted me to 10 posts per day. I wouldn't say I'm not naive to know if I've been overly wreckeless so to be two weeks (yes two weeks) down the line after asking the owner of FT what I have done, I still have no response.

 

I'm a chartered professional despite my mental health so I am aware as the next sane person with respect to right and wrong. 

 

I was then emailed from the owner of FT following my RFI's. He said that "you have 10 posts per 24 hours for now to save you from the bother of the other week. I suggest you not waste them on private messaging". The private messaging must have referred to me messaging admin members for help, guidance and clarity because I was starting to feel stressed, depressed, agitated and frustrated. 

 

I replied, still seeking clarity over a) the post restriction and when it will end, and b) What have I done? Can you please tell me. No reply.

 

There is a chance I will be banned completely for this. I cannot though stay silent while the owner of FT acts in a godly manner and seems to have no respect (he was aware and I told him of my personal status early on) mental health and disabilities. My mental health suffers a lot specially with a lack of clarity over issues. This is where the owner of FT has hit me hardest for want of a better expression.

 

If I'm still here tomorrow then thanks to the admin team! If not, adios, and nice knowing you.

It’d be lovely if I could truthfully say that your story surprises me.

Chin up.

[pkonline]

This is a really interesting thread - thank you to those who have contributed.

 

I personally have make specific changes over the past few months, because I was finding my own mental health was being affected by numerous things. Probably the biggest trigger being work stress, however when you feel stressed and a little down, everything effects you - and things that usually you find a positive outlet or distraction, end up having the opposite effect. 

 

I've come off Twitter, did a friend cull on Facebook, and turned off notifications on my phone.

 

Why?

 

Yes when you see Leicester lose, it's pretty rubbish, but social media and the internet intensify the negative emotions and stops you from moving on. For days you see posts with negative emotions and feeling. We as humans feed off others, so you end up getting angry, annoyed, irritable, and down, for days on end. Previously i'd just move on.

 

We all react to different things in different ways, and it's often unrelated to how big a deal something is.

 

Worth remembering that amongst young men, suicide is the most common cause of death in the UK.

 

It's important we have threads like this that openly allows people to share their feeling and thoughts without prejudice.

[turkish14]

7 hours ago, Phil Bowman said:

It’s a tricky one. Or at least it can become a tricky one for a lot of us sometimes.

 

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with deriving pleasure from our team’s successes, when they happen. Nor with feeling disappointment at their failures.

Problems come if we come to depend on our team’s successes for our pleasure.

 

I have experience of some mental health issues (not too major, but still some way off being fun), and half a century of Leicester supporting, and I’ve (eventually) reached a point where I can enjoy it when good things happen and not get too negative for too long when they don’t.

 

To be honest 2016 helped a lot with this, for me at least, as I’ve seen my club have the most incredible success imaginable, and a big part of me now knows that nothing will ever beat (or even equal) that, so I can pretty much accept that what will be will be. The FA Cup was a delicious icing on that cake!

 

Ultimately I reckon this is the only way to manage it - otherwise we depend for our happiness on something we have no control over. And that is not a recipe for mental well-being - especially in football, where by the very nature of things, most clubs aren’t successful most of the time.

 

Having said all that, achieving a zen attitude to football is often much easier said than done!

 

Finally, I hope people can stop accusing one another on here of being upset by stuff that shouldn’t upset them, or of not understanding mental health issues. We’re all different; one person’s fluffy irrelevance is another’s crushing weight, and vice versa.

 

But I have rambled on too long…

Brilliantly written and 100% agree 

[Guest Col city fan]

My biggest cause of cognitive dissonance associated with LCFC is in being very confused at what is happening at the club at present. The Fofana stuff, Kasper going without even a goodbye, no signings, being rooted to the base of the Prem.

It IS disappointing to see but as I said, my greatest emotion at present is one of confusion. I’d just like to know what on earth is happening when I switch on SSN, only to hear that Forest have made yet another signing, that West Ham have broken their transfer record and that Southampton have spent over 100 million quid.

And we seem still to have done nothing..

Just confusing..

[coolhandfox]

I think this place can actually have a worse effect on peoples mental health then the team.

 

 

[Mr Weller 2]

We care otherwise it wouldn’t bother us and we wouldn’t be on here but that’s not the problem. The problem is when people see no hope and interpret everything in the most pessimistic way possible and there is a lot of that on here at present.

 

It’s a proxy for other things in their lives and it’s fair to say a lot of men feel very down at the moment. That manifests as aggression, deep unrelenting cynicism and sometimes self pity though you could argue football is a relatively safe way of processing these emotions.
 

For what it’s worth it’s better to care than not. When you stop caring about things you used to care about it’s a warning that things are definitely not right.

 

 

Edited 29 August 2022 by Mr Weller 2
Rephrased

[VLC86]

I’ve only read small snippets of this thread but it’s pretty disappointing to see people who champion mental health write off someone’s point of view as too trivial.

 

Football is an escape for many of us. When the world is in a very shit place on many fronts it’s nice to forget about it and cheer on your heroes for 90 minutes. Unfortunately at the minute that experience isn’t great and can be another factor in someone really struggling.

 

For me, I’m not enjoying a few aspects of my life and I’ve recognised that I probably need my life not to revolve around this football club for me to be happy.

 

I’d say for a lot of football fans it has an impact.